Dead Either Way (Under Major Editing)

Possible Enemies:

Raven started to move forward, but Lavanya stopped her. Jewel examined the situation carefully, her eyes flickering from Kara to the two tributes standing in front of her. Kara bit the inside of her cheek nervously. Lavanya and Raven didn't seem to have violent intentions, but her breathing still became heavier.

"Hello." Jewel offered cautiously.

"Hi." Lavanya answered, slowly, still with her hand in front of Raven, not restraining her, but more as a warning. Raven seemed to be intent on studying the scene, and she eyed Jewel's pack, especially the canteen she had. Kara recognized that old expression immediately. She's a planner. Just like Jeffrey was. Except she lived. Raven herself had a pack, but it looked small.

"You guys found water?" Lavanya asked in disbelief. She already thinks Jewel and I are allies. But just because I'm not dead right now doesn't mean I won't be later. I am not going to be the victor here. I can't trust her. "Of course she did." Raven muttered, an edge in her voice. Her eyes looked cold and hard. "She's not with them now, is she?" Lavanya asked, clearly not intending her question to be answered. Raven didn't seem to acknowledge her. Kara let herself speak up, for the sake of not wanting to appear too weak to support herself. "I found some too."

"How?" Lavanya immediately asked.

"I got mine from the Cornucopia," Said Jewel. Raven's look hardened again.

"These plants. They have water in the middle of them. They're everywhere." I think I can trust them. They haven't tried anything weird. Raven seems to hate traditional Careers. Raven looked at her curiously.

"I haven't had a drink in almost a day." Lavanya said.

"I have water." Kara instantly offered before she could even think. "Here." Lavanya looked at her like the canteen wasn't even real.

"Really?" She said. Kara nodded.

"Yeah." Lavanya took an eager sip, and then started to chug it down. She must've drained almost half of the near-full bottle before she handed it off to Raven.

The girl from District Four handled the canteen like it's silver metal sides were magma. She took a cautious sip, and then just five more, and then handed the bottle back to Lavanya, who handed it back to Kara. "Thanks so much." Lavanya said, and then she looked off to Raven. "Can we talk, in private?" She asked. Raven gave a slight nod, and they moved away from the dying fire pit. When they were gone, Jewel immediately wheeled toward Kara.

"If they decide to join us, I won't fight it. They'll be welcome allies. I won't make any moves on them, and neither will you, I hope. Unless things get very desperate, this alliance will not fall apart, ok?" Kara nodded fretfully. She didn't like the new intensity that Jewel spoke with. It frightened her. "Don't be too liberal with the trust you give them. We have 12 tributes left. The packs are thinning out. Four is a big alliance to make right now." It is. Kara instantly thought. "You're naive, Eight. You shouldn't given her the water, at least not that early."

Words tried to escape Kara's mouth. "Well I-"

Jewel hushed her. "No. The words spilled out of Kara's mouth.

"Well, where I come from, people are trustworthy. I'm sure you wouldn't know what that's like." She instantly wished she hadn't said them. The words seemed to affect Jewel in a strange way. Her spine stiffened and she pressed her lips tightly against each other. Lavanya and Raven came back.

"We've come to a decision." Lavanya announced to the small group. Kara could still feel Raven's eyes on her. "Can we join you?" She asked in a slight voice. "We have some supplies, and Raven trained just as well as anyone who went to an academy like Jewel. She's been catching fish with these nets she makes from the vines. She found another kind of reedy plant that she can make baskets out of. Both from the swamp. I know plants really well, that's how I stayed alive in the forest before I met her. I know ones you can use to eat or heal people. We just need your water." The words seemed to tumble out of her mouth. "Please."